Before the test a lot of discussion was around the impact the flexi wings would have in terms of how much further McLaren and Merc would have pushed it and what Ferrari and RedBull would introduce, we’ve seen nothing on that? Winners from the week McLaren - still seem to have their edge - and Williams - most improved. Hardest to read, Mercedes - it was cold in Bahrain, conditions in which they dominated everyone last year, is the fact they’ve lost that a good sign for more normal conditions or …? Biggest disappointment Aston - they don’t seem to have moved forward and have maybe slipped behind RB. Antonelli was surprisingly prepared I thought, before the week a friend said he’d surprise everyone who doesn’t realise how much private running he’s done and that did seem to be borne out. Ferrari seemed to be quick in a straight line, which doesn’t scream low engine mode to me and suggests they have more to do on the car side than Merc. RedBull also dissapointing, the car still looks poorly balanced and they still had the flo vis on the car on the final afternoon which suggests they’re still struggling with correlation. Given how little the car appears to have changed that’s a huge worry and it seems fairly likely the Verstappen era will be on pause for a bit. Obviously there’s a rules reset to some extent after 8 races, so predicting the season seems futile, but I couldn’t help but think Piastri failing to complete his quali sim after a mistake, and Norris’ Zandvoortesque race sim on Thursday were an ominous sign for anything other than a Championship procession at least up to that point.
Some are suggesting the Ferrari looks to have a problem. At this stage you can't really determine what they are doing and they don't want you to know. Last year, tyre wear was a definite differentiator for some races. Testing is testing, Racing is racing.
Just reading on the BBC Formula 1 web page that Dave Richards has challenged Ben Sulayem and the FIA with legal action. David Richards, the chairman of Motorsport UK, has threatened world governing body the FIA with legal action if it does not address his concerns about governance. Nice to see someone standing up to these draconion rules being imposed on drivers etc.
This chart, published by Planet F1, showing the top speeds achieved during testing, just proves you can't read too much into the testing.
**********. Not sure how far he’ll get , but as you said , nice to see someone standing up to Whoever wants these rules ****** Motorsport UK chair threatens FIA with legal action over governance please log in to view this image IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES Image caption, David Richards has criticised the behaviour of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem Andrew Benson F1 correspondent Published 5 March 2025 David Richards, the chairman of Motorsport UK, has threatened world governing body the FIA with legal action if it does not address his concerns about governance. Richards' move comes after he was one of a number of FIA members who were barred from a meeting of its world council last week after refusing to sign a non-disclosure agreement. The 72-year-old said in a letter to members of Motorsport UK, external, a member of the FIA, that the FIA's actions under president Mohammed Ben Sulayem are in breach of its own statutes and that its actions fall short of "gold-standard levels of transparency, accountability and integrity in sports governance". Richards, the chairman of motorsport engineering company Prodrive and a former Formula 1 team boss, added he intends to "remind the FIA of their responsibilities and hold them to account on behalf of the sport and their members worldwide". Richards' letter references the number of controversies that have embroiled Ben Sulayem since he was elected in December 2021. These have included his views on women, his approach to F1, changes to the statutes reducing accountability, the dismissal of a number of senior figuresand rule changes regarding F1 drivers' public behaviour. Richards said there has been a "distinct failure" by Ben Sulayem to meet the promises he made when he ran for election. These included being a hands-off president conducting himself in a non-executive manner and delegating the running of the FIA to a professional team, appointing and empowering a capable CEO, and full transparency of actions. He said the situation at the FIA has "progressively worsened", pointing to the firing or "resignation under an opaque cloud" of several senior FIA figures. He added: "The scope of the audit and ethics committees has been severely limited and now lacks autonomy from the authority of the president, while the UK representative, who challenged certain matters, was summarily removed along with the chair of the audit committee". He said the "final straw" that led to his letter was "being asked to sign a new confidentiality agreement that I regarded as a 'gagging order'". Richards said he had already signed a confidentiality agreement when he was appointed to the world motorsport council in 2021 and "remains committed to my confidentiality obligations under this existing agreement and Article 4, which remain in effect". He added: "However, the new confidentiality agreement went far further than this and, at a week's notice, I was told that if I didn't sign it, I would be barred from the next World Motorsport Council meeting." He said the key clauses he objected to were: Everything was now considered confidential, without any qualification, preventing me from necessarily sharing what I considered to be relevant information. The FIA, at its own discretion, could decide if anyone breached the terms of the new confidentiality agreement with no process or frame of reference. There was an immediate fine of 50,000 euros for any breach and a threat of undisclosed damages. He added: "Our Motorsport UK lawyers, along with our French legal counsel, have challenged the FIA on their actions by setting out a clear set of questions that the FIA leadership needs to answer. "It is very disappointing to report that we have still not received an answer to these or the fundamental question I raised: where in the FIA Statutes does it provide for an elected member to be barred from a meeting?" He added: "We have informed the FIA that, unless they address the issues we've raised, we will be engaging in further legal action." Richards acknowledged that the media had gained access to some sensitive information in the past three years. But he added: "No-one, least of all myself, would dispute the fact that certain matters must be treated as confidential and sensitive for external release. "However, we should not allow that basic truth to be misused in order to create a blanket gagging order on volunteer representatives on the various crucial councils and committees. This is not how a member-owned and driven organisation should behave." The FIA reissued a response it gave to BBC Sport last week in the wake of Richards being excluded from the world council. It said that non-disclosure agreements were "routine" in all organisations, that "unauthorised disclosure of confidential information undermines" its ability to pursue its objectives, and that the measures were "overwhelmingly supported by the super-majority of WMSC members".
Even if Richards get something out of this legal challenge , sadly I believe Ben Sillyman has enough votes that he will get back in .
In general I agree. I was more thinking that there’s a possibility that a court case escalates to the point that he’s forced to step down in order to kill it.
Piastri has signed a new contract with McLaren, the length of the deal is unclear, but it’s believed to run to 2028.
Amazing what happens when we’re not weight saving on paint! FIA/Liberty clueless however so we continue with bang average F1 liveries, essentially eroding any chances of iconic images.
Just spotted that Geri Horner has changed her name!!! She now wishes to be known as Geri Halliwell-Horner! https://www.manchestereveningnews.c.../geri-halliwell-ditches-married-name-31208976 I wonder if the upcoming tribunal has made her hedge her bets as she seems to be trying to do a Lifestyle fly on the wall series!
It's a sad day. What a great character, a shrewd negotiator, and great business man. I had already missed him on the F1 programs.
You`re right,76 is not old anymore.He`s gone way too soon Rest in Peace,Eddie and thanks for giving Shumi his big break all those years ago at Spa.
